Tag Archives: Vermont

Bob Melamede was pissed off, which seemed out of character for a laid-back guy who laughs a lot. Plus, he’d begun the day as he always does — by ingesting 80 to 100 milligrams of oil containing tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive compound in cannabis. That’s enough THC to leave most stoners blissed out for hours.

But Melamede saw good reason to be indignant on a late September morning outside Burlington’s Bern Gallery, where the annual Pipe Classic glassblowing competition was in full swing. A retired DNA researcher, microbiology professor and international cannabis activist, Melamede had heard that a Burlington police officer confiscated all the cannabis oil from a medical marijuana patient who’d flown into town for the event.

The patient, Courtney Soper, arrived at the gallery a few minutes later. The 40-year-old mother of three from Long Island, N.Y., confirmed that, after checking into her hotel the previous night, she had driven to an Old North End café to meet some friends who were also attending the glassblowing event. While she was parking her rental car, she said, a cop pulled her over for making an illegal U-turn.

After smelling marijuana on Soper, the cop searched her car and discovered the cannabis oil. Soper handed over her medical marijuana registry cards from New York and California, explaining that she uses the substance to treat several conditions, including chronic pain. The cop didn’t arrest Soper or issue a ticket, but he took her drugs.

“Who’s the government to tell us what kind of medicine we can use?” Melamede barked. “Fuck them!”

He was ready to make that point at the police station, but Soper nixed the idea for fear it could bring unwanted scrutiny to the Bern Gallery event. In a text to Seven Days, Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo explained later that his officer was just following protocol: Vermont doesn’t recognize medical marijuana cards from other states.

Meanwhile, several twenty- and thirty-somethings milling around outside the Bern Gallery recognized Melamede and greeted him with shouts of “Hey, Dr. Bob!”

As it happens, thousands of people know “Dr. Bob,” who’s not a physician but has a doctoral degree in molecular genetics and biochemistry. A former research professor who taught at the University of Vermont, New York Medical College and the University of Colorado, Melamede now appears regularly in the marijuana press and frequently speaks at international cannabis conventions. His presentations, some of which can be found on YouTube, invariably delve into the science of cannabis and its relationship to human health.

Vermont’s bill, which would legalize small amounts of marijuana possession in 2018 and anticipate the possibility of a taxed and regulated legal marijuana market, was approved in the Vermont House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon by a vote of 79-66. The state Senate already passed the bill, so it will go directly to GOP Gov. Phil Scott.

Eight states — Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon and Washington — and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana following a voter referendum, but no state yet has legalized marijuana solely through the legislative process, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Legalization advocates said bills were pending in other state legislatures.

“I think it reflects that Vermont elected officials are more in touch with our constituents than a lot of elected officials in other states,” said Vermont Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, a member of the Vermont Progressive Party who has worked on marijuana issues for the majority of his political career. “I think the public is ahead of us, but elected officials tend to be cautious when it comes to change.”

Wednesday’s vote closed a debate over legalization, particularly in the state House. The divisiveness once prompted Senate President Pro Tempore Tim Ashe, a Democrat from Burlington, Vt., to predict that legalization would take a miracle to pass this year.

Advocates hugged and shared high-fives outside the two chambers after the vote.

“Vermont elected officials are more in touch with our constituents than a lot of elected officials in other states.”

Earlier in the day, the House Judiciary Committee voted 8-3 to support the limited bill, which was pitched as a compromise between the House and Senate approaches on marijuana.

The proposal incorporates H.170, a House-supported bill that would legalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana, two mature marijuana plants or four immature marijuana plants for adults older than 21. The effective date was pushed to July 1, 2018.

The bill also sets up a nine-member commission to study the best way to regulate marijuana.

“There’s no slam dunk of any kind,” Rep. Barbara Rachelson, a Burlington Democrat, said about the prospect of a legal marijuana market. “It just is doing work that could be used next year or in subsequent years.”

The proposal would continue to prohibit driving under the influence of marijuana and the use of marijuana in public places. Employers, landlords, schools and prisons could continue to restrict marijuana use.

“The data indicates that our youth are using marijuana more infrequently, and I don’t think we should put that in jeopardy,” said GOP Rep. Scott Beck of St. Johnsbury, Vt., who voted against the bill.

Democratic Rep. Susan Buckholz of Hartford, Vt., said declining marijuana use among the state’s high school students, measured at 37% in the latest Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey, shows that anti-drug education is working.

“We need to make a move to be treating this as a public health issue for those for whom it is a health issue and letting other people use this substance responsibly,” Buckholz said.

If Scott signs the bill, a new commission would be responsible for drafting a system to tax and regulate marijuana and submitting the plan to the Legislature. The end result would need to be a marijuana regulatory system that “increases public safety and reduces harm to public health.”

“The administration will be at the table, along with the attorney general and others,” said Democratic Rep. Maxine Grad of Moretown, Vt., chairwoman of the House Judiciary Committee. “With Massachusetts and Maine starting up in 2018, I think we need to continue this conversation.”

Scott repeatedly has expressed concerns about marijuana and highway safety. He has the choice to sign the bill, veto the bill, or allow it to become law without his signature.

The first-term Republican governor declined to say before Wednesday’s House vote whether he would veto the legislation.

“I don’t believe this is a priority for Vermont,” Scott said. “I believe that what we should be doing is trying to find ways to protect those on our highways, deliver a level of impairment that is consistent throughout the Northeast, as well as to address the edibles for our kids before we move forward with legalization. Having said that, I’m going to review the bill as it’s passed.”

FOLA will sponsor a gubernatorial candidates forum on Thursday, July 21 at 7 PM at the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium. All candidates for Governor who are running in contested party elections have been invited to participate. (Including Cris Ericson who is on the Democratic party primary election ballot, but has been wrongfully excluded from the majority of candidate debates and forums!)The forum will consist of questions directed at the candidates by the moderator, Ralph Pace, followed by questions from the audience. Candidates will be given equal time to answer the questions based on time constraints monitored by the timer.

Questions will deal with regional and statewide issues. For further information, call (802) 228-7239 or email info@fola.us.

S.241 Vermont marijuana Bill does NOT make marijuana legal like alcoholic beverages: (1) because you can brew your own alcoholic beverage at home in Vermont, and this bill does NOT allow you to plant a seed in the ground and grow your own marijuana at home; (2) because the state government does not raid your home and count your cans of beer, but in the new Bill, S. 241, the state will raid your home and count every single seed you have, or have planted, and send you to prison if you are not one of the chosen few to pay a high price for and receive a license to commercially grow and sell marijuana.S.241 was written for the express purpose of making the rich even richer, and sending the poor to prison for the benefit of the private-for-profit prison industry.

PUBLIC NOTICE to DEMOCRATIC PARTY in VERMONT

I live in the area of Windsor County just north of Windham County, and there are a lot of low income people who will be devastated by S. 241 proposed marijuana bill because when marijuana is legal, they will be tempted, but they can NOT afford to pay for it.

Until marijuana is legal to grow your own at home for your own personal use, without the government prying on your private property to count your plants, I will continue to campaign for legalization.Because the Democratic Party has taken over the issue of marijuana legalization, whereas I started it in 2002, the first time I was on the ballot for Governor, I will run in the Democratic Primary this election season to off-set the injustice being brought down on low income Vermonters.

The whole current marijuana bill is intended to make a few farmers and Lounge merchants vastly wealthy, while the tax dollars will be spent hounding and stalking poor people and threatening them if they so much as plant one seed.

Did you know this is how the American Revolution began?

The King decided that one company could sell Tea, he made one company a monopoly.So, the Settlers dressed up as Indians and dumped the Tea into Boston Harbor.If Peter Shumlin gets his way and does the equivalent of allowing monopolies, allowing only a few businesses to farm marijuana and sell marijuana, then you are inciting a riot, you may be inciting the next Boston Tea Party, only it might be tons of marijuana dumped into Lake Champlain off the Ferry.

If I lose the Democratic Primary, I will be on the ballot for the General Election for the Marijuana Party, of course.

This is a battle of the rich against the poor, and the Democratic Party is in conspiracy with Governor Peter Shumlin to extort money from people for marijuana, rather than allowing them to plant a seed in the ground and grow their own.

Also, of course, your conspiracy with Peter Shumlin includes violating federal marijuana laws; and I might start a group to file an action directly with the Supreme Court of the United States which is allowed when a State law violates the U.S. Constitution – and I think we might have a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution guarantee of equal rights under the law: how can you possibly think it is alright for one man to profit growing marijuana, while another man may be imprisoned for the same thing?

And, in keeping with the Spirit of the American Revolution, you must know you are violating the U.S. Constitution in conspiracy with Peter Shumlin for making laws that require someone else, other than an elected official, to make rules and regulations to use the tax dollars collected; that is clearly taxation without representation.

A bill introduced in Vermont would authorize marijuana to be taxed and regulated similar to alcohol, legalizing the plant, and effectively nullifying the federal prohibition on the same.

Senate Bill 95 (S.95) was introduced on Feb. 18 by State Sen. David Zuckerman (D-Chittenden). If this bill is successful, Vermont would become the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes through the legislature rather than the popular vote.

SB95 would allow “a person who is 21 years of age or older to possess limited amounts of marijuana for personal use, while retaining civil and criminal penalties for possession above the limits and for unauthorized dispensing or sale of marijuana” and would create “civil penalties for a person who is under 21 years of age who possesses marijuana or attempts to procure marijuana from a registered marijuana establishment.”

Under the bill, Vermont residents would be authorized to possess “two mature marijuana plants; seven immature marijuana plants; one ounce of marijuana; and any additional marijuana produced by the person’s marijuana plants, provided that any amount of marijuana in excess of one ounce of marijuana must be possessed in the same secure indoor facility where the plants were cultivated.” Nonresidents would be allowed to possess a quarter ounce of marijuana.

Dispensaries and retail marijuana shops would be allowed under SB95 if they pay the necessary fees and follow appropriate licensing procedures outlined in the bill. Marijuana distribution centers must be 1000 feet from schools and child-care facilities. Marijuana possession and distribution conducted in ways not authorized by SB95 would be punishable by a civil infraction, and then possibly jail time.

Bills like SB95 are sweeping the nation, and for good reason. Reforms like these can affect federal policy while circumventing the Washington D.C. power structure completely. The best thing about measures such as SB95 is that they are completely lawful and Constitutional, and there is little if anything the feds can do to stop them!

CONSTITUTIONALITY

Congress and the president claim the constitutional authority to ban marijuana. The Supreme Court concurs. However, nearly two-dozen states have taken steps to put the well-being of their citizens above the so-called federal supremacy by legalizing marijuana to varying degrees anyway.

“The rapidly growing and wildly successful state-level movement to legalize marijuana, either completely, or for medical use, proves that states can successfully effectively reject unconstitutional federal acts. The feds can claim the authority to prohibit pot all they want, but it clearly has done nothing to deter states from moving forward with plans to allow it, pushed by the will of the people,” Tenth Amendment Center executive director Michael Boldin said.

The momentum is on our side, but Vermont cannot legalize it without your help. This effort needs your support to achieve victory. SB95 is currently in Senate Committee on Judiciary where it will need to successfully pass through before it can receive a full vote in the state senate.

ACTION ITEMS

If you live in Vermont, support this bill by following all the action steps at THIS LINK.

All Other States, take action to push back against the federal drug war at this link.

In a few short paragraphs within the 1,603-page congressional spending bill signed into law on December 16, 2014, Congress prohibited the U.S. Department of Justice from using federal funds to prosecute users, growers and distributors of medical marijuana in states that have enacted medical marijuana statutes. The full text of the de-funding rider barring the DOJ from the use of funds to “prevent. . . implementation” of state and local laws legalizing medical marijuana states:

Sec. 538. None of the funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used, with respect to the States of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, to prevent such States from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.

Sec. 539. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used in contravention of section 7606 (“Legitimacy of Industrial Hemp Research”) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79) by the Department of Justice or the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Several U.S. Supreme Court decisions have upheld prosecution of medical marijuana growers and users under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Nevertheless, the Obama Administration, as a matter of policy, has directed the DOJ to take a relaxed approach to prosecution and the DOJ has done so, except for use that impacts the DOJ’s “enforcement priorities” (e.g., preventing the distribution of marijuana to minors, preventing the revenue from the sale of marijuana from going to criminal enterprises, gangs and cartels). This new de-funding measure now codifies that policy approach as law. (Notably, the rider does not affect IRS or Treasury Department actions relating to payment of taxes by marijuana suppliers and online banking).

The legislation, however, does not legalize medical marijuana. Rather, the federal ban on marijuana continues – i.e., both medical and recreational marijuana continue to be illegal under CSA Schedule I. And, though de-funding may affect enforcement of criminal laws in states with medical marijuana statutes, it has no effect in states that have not legalized marijuana, nor does it express any limitations on employer action on the basis of a positive marijuana test result administered under a workplace drug testing policy. Finally, the rider expires on September 30, 2015, and may or may not be renewed heading into the heart of the presidential election campaign in the fall of 2015. For all of these reasons, though significant in reflecting current legislators’ thinking at the national level regarding CSA enforcement, the mere enactment of the spending bill with this provision does not warrant adjustment to drug testing policies of employers choosing to continue to treat confirmed positive marijuana test results as positive even when the result was caused by medicinal use that is lawful under state or local law.

The House budget passed Tuesday night prevents the Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration from using funds to interfere with state laws that legalize medical marijuana.

The amendment was introduced by California Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican, and Sam Farr, a Democrat, and was approved by the House of Representatives in May. It implies that DEA raids on medical marijuana patients in states where it is legal will stop.

The budget Senate proposal — which must still go back to the House for a full vote before it lands on President Obama’s desk — would keep all but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operating normally through the end of the fiscal year in 2015.

The compromise bill was approved with Republicans agreeing to put off a fight with Obama over his immigration policies until February, when funding for the DHS is slated to run out, the Associated Press reported.

The bill’s Section 538, which addresses medical marijuana, reads:

None of the funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used, with respect to the States of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, to prevent such States from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.

The bill also includes a section that protects industrial hemp cultivation.

None of the funds made available by this Act may be used in contravention of section 7606 (”Legitimacy of Industrial Hemp Research”) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–79) by the Department of Justice or the Drug Enforcement Administration.

AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

Marijuana advocates were pleased with the bill.

Tom Angell, founder of Marijuana Majority, said in statement to BuzzFeed News: “Congressional leaders seem to have finally gotten the message that a supermajority of Americans wants states to be able to implement sensible marijuana reforms without federal interference.”

Angell also urged the Obama administration to use this opportunity to “reschedule marijuana immediately.” Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I drug, meaning it’s a dangerous narcotic with no accepted medical use. Heroin and LSD are also classified Schedule I, while cocaine and methamphetamine are Schedule II, a lower ranking.

Advocates say reclassifying the drug would allow for state and federal laws to be in sync, and conserve law enforcement resources. It would also ease access to research of the drug and tension between banks and marijuana retailers.

Erik Altieri, communication director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, also released a statement that said: “By restricting these agencies in this manner, the nearly two dozen states that implemented medical marijuana programs can hopefully breathe easier knowing federal money won’t be spent to interfere with their progress. We hope this leads to further reforms at the federal level further enshrining this sentiment into law.”

The bill also effectively blocks the legalization of recreational marijuana use in Washington, D.C., but preserves its decriminalization law.

Voters in Washington, D.C., overwhelmingly passed a recreational marijuana referendum on the November ballot, which is now effectively blocked. The District passed a decriminalization bill in April that will remain intact.

The proposed bill’s appropriations section, which allocates millions in funds to the district, states:

“None of the Federal funds contained in this Act may be used to enact or carry out any law, rule, or regulation to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties associated with the possession, use, or distribution of any schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) or any tetrahydrocannabinols derivative.”

Unlike most states, Washington, D.C., doesn’t take in any local revenue that it can spend and receives all of its funding from the federal government, so the ban on using funds for legalization effectively blocks the referendum voters recently passed.

Earlier on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said of the rider: “I’m opposed to what the House is trying to do.”

“If they put it in there, it’s going to be hard to take it out over here,” he added.

1. Decriminalize Marijuana in Vermont: Gov. Pete Shumlin (D), a strong supporter of decriminalizing marijuana, partially campaigned on the issue and easily won re-election on November 6 with 58% of the vote. The Vermont Llegislature is poised to pass the bill he wants, so this legislation could become law by this summer.

2. Legalize Medical Marijuana in New Hampshire: Incoming Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) is a strong supporter of medical marijuana, so we expect her to sign a medical marijuana bill similar to those vetoed by former Gov. John Lynch (D) in 2009 and 2012. 3. Build Support for Legalization in the Rhode Island Legislature: We successfully legalized medical marijuana and decriminalized marijuana possession in Rhode Island in 2009 and 2012, respectively. There is now considerable momentum to tax and regulate (T&R) marijuana like alcohol, so we need to ensure that Rhode Island’s state legislature becomes the first to do so.

4. Increase Support for Legalization in California, Maine, and Oregon: There will be a sincere effort to pass T&R bills through the legislatures in these three states. Should they fall short, MPP and its allies will pursue statewide ballot initiatives in November 2016, at which time all three will be expected to pass.

5. Build Our Base of Support Online: People have said that the Internet is marijuana legalization’s best friend, and this could not have been more evident than it was last year. Campaigns mobilized their supporters, organizations raised funds, and the public was able to follow the progress in real time. Prohibitionists, who have depended on the government for its largess for years, are now at a disadvantage. Private citizens simply do not want to donate to them, and most information about marijuana is now reaching the public without being run through their filter. 6. Continue the Steady Drumbeat in the Media: National and local media outlets are covering the marijuana issue more than ever before. Communicating to voters through news coverage is the most cost-efficient way to increase public support for ending marijuana prohibition, so we need to keep the issue in the spotlight.

7. Build Support for Medical Marijuana in Congress: There are already approximately 185 members of the U.S. House who want to stop the U.S. Justice Department from spending taxpayer money on raiding medical marijuana businesses in the 18 states (and DC) where medical marijuana is legal. We want to reach 218 votes on this amendment, thereby ensuring the amendment’s transfer to the U.S. Senate for an up-or-down vote.

8. Build Support for Ending Marijuana Prohibition in Congress: Last year, the first-ever bill to end the federal government’s prohibition of marijuana attracted 21 sponsors. Our goal is to expand the number of sponsors to more than two-dozen during the 2013-2014 election season.

Looking outside our borders, we’re also seeing progress in Colombia, Uruguay, and Chile, which have all been steadily moving away from marijuana prohibition. Although this is good news, most members of the U.S. Congress do not care much about what South American countries think on marijuana policy, so we should temper the wonderful developments south of the U.S. border with limited expectations of what will happen in our nation’s capital.

Ultimately, the U.S. is the primary exporter of prohibition around the world. If we can solve the problem here, the rest of the world will have far more freedom to conduct their own experiments with regulating marijuana.

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“The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.” -- Frank Zappa

October 11, 2018 Bruce Cain – New Age Citizen How Facebook (FB) is influencing the 2018 Election by censoring Anti-Globalist users for baseless accusations of “hate speech” Summary: This morning, (10/09/2018), I found my FB account suspended for 30 days (right past the November Election), for the baseless accusation of “hate speech.” And it was … Continue re […]

GENUINE U.S. MARIJUANA PARTY T-SHIRTS ! On April 20th, 2018 I received the following email from “Stripe”. “Thanks for using Stripe.While we hate to give you anything less than a great experience, it does seem that your business is in violation of the Stripe Services Agreement, section A.7.b (“Prohibited Businesses and Activities”). Specifically, we are … Con […]

I am not a “legalizer”. I will hold out for “repeal” of the Treaties and Statutes which made the cannabis plant “controlled schedule I” – to begin with – to grow on my own property, and consume in the manner in which I see fit, for myself AND my family. No one has the right … Continue reading (GOV) DO NOT tell me that there is no evidence to say that Cann […]

(Originally posted on Oct 14, 2017) Any way that you look at it, none of it passes the “smell test”! From Robert Weber of the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission came the following account of a meeting of both the Interim Joint Committee on Health and Welfare and Family Services, and the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory … Continue reading Why do They fe […]

Actus Reus Non Facit Reum Nisi Mens Sit Rea For the act to be guilty, the mind must be guilty, for the mind to be guilty, the act must be criminal. April 12, 2018 On April 3rd, Mr. Thorne Peters was “live” in front of the Shelby County Justice Center, awaiting his latest arrest for … Continue reading (TN) Human Rights and Cannabis Activist “The King Pin” Tho […]

Mike Cox 3 hrs · Thorne Peters taking a stand for all of us today, saying No Mens Rea, no guilty mind, no crime no time. This is sickening folks. Mens Rea has been a principle of criminal law since the beginning of Law. He will be live very shortly and there is no more important … Continue reading Thorne Peters LIVE from Shelby County Justice Center in Memph […]

As I sat here patiently waiting for the Kentucky Legislature to take a vote on HB 166, I was thinking of a way to say, “Thank-You” to ALL of the people who took a stand this year in Kentucky! Jaime Montalvo Justin Lewandoski Eric Michelle Crawford Pat Dunegan Jennifer Dunegan Dan Seum Sally Oh Dan … Continue reading March 7, 2018 Today In Frank […]

For all of his hard work attending school and graduating as a German Chemist, while participating in the Tour de France in the 60’s, Manfred Donike was most widely known as an “doping expert” and is credited with the first accurate urine testing procedures. He was Director for the Institute for Biochemistry at the German … Continue reading The legacy of Manf […]

An update on my Daughter, Francis’s death… Happier times… There used to be a poster hanging on the wall, outside the Kitchen at our old house. It read, NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING! or YOU WILL MAKE AN “ASS” out of “U” AND “ME” That was the first thing that I thought of after reading the … Continue reading NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING… →

(…or whatever else you want to call it!) Any way that you look at it, none of it passes the “smell test”! From Robert Weber of the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission came the following account of a meeting of both the Interim Joint Committee on Health and Welfare and Family Services, and the Medicaid Oversight … Continue reading The following can be c […]

New Study Finds Marijuana Component CBD Makes Glaucoma Worse ForbesPatients with glaucoma have used medical marijuana for decades to help ease the symptoms. However, a new study finds that one of the primary components of ...

Marijuana Marlboro And What Altria's Purchase Of A Canadian Marijuana Maker Means ForbesMarlboro Cigarette maker, Altria, just bought a significant share of a Canadian marijuana maker. This could be a marriage made in heaven offering opportunities ...

New Zealand Says Voters Will Decide Whether Cannabis Is Legalized The New York TimesWith a referendum planned for 2020, New Zealand apparently will be the first country to put legalizing recreational marijuana to a public vote.

For pot shop opponents, Leicester’s traffic nightmare is a gift The Boston GlobeThe highly-publicized traffic snarls in Leicester have rippled across the state, changing the marijuana debate in other towns — but the irony is that the problems ...

Sen. Cory Gardner fails to get marijuana reform into criminal justice bill The Denver PostThe federal government won't be easing its laws on marijuana as part of a criminal justice reform bill that's expected to pass this week. U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner ...

New marijuana dispensaries to open in Unity Township, Aliquippa, Johnstown next year Tribune-ReviewA Chicago-based company has secured a permit to open a new medical marijuana dispensary in Westmoreland County in mid-2019, the state Department of ...

Second contender in Shrewsbury pipeline for recreational marijuana permit MetroWest Daily NewsSHREWSBURY – Selectmen have approved a second host community agreement for a company to sell adult-use recreational marijuana in town.A third ...

CANNABIS CULTURE - Vancouver's new city council is launching a Christmas war on dispensaries! CLICK HERE NOW TO TAKE ACTION! This week the city of Vancouver won a court case against 29 local dispensaries. Even though we're launching an appeal, the city is demanding they all shut down by December 31! Local dispensaries are still needed! Canada' […]

Canada’s trailblazing move to legalize cannabis for recreational use, which sparked an entirely new industry and had wide-ranging implications for nearly every facet of society, has been voted The Canadian Press Business News Story of the Year. The term “disruption” in business has become so overused that it has become an empty cliche, but it is warranted in […]

American women hold nearly 27% of leadership roles in legal cannabis, a noticeable improvement over the 21% they hold in traditional businesses. As the industry expands with legalization in additional states, and potentially at the federal level, women will come to play an even larger role in the industry, as leaders and consumers. Women make 80% of health a […]

Koby Smutylo leased 2 stores in Ottawa before government's 25 licences cap. An Ottawa cannabis entrepreneur who's already leased two spaces for prospective stores says he's frustrated with the Ontario government's decision to cap the number of licences for retail pot shops. The province initially said it would not limit the number of lice […]

Under the leadership of previous United Nation's Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's regime, member states which legalized or even considered legalizing cannabis were called out and admonished for violating decades-old international drug treaties. Under the current leadership of Sec-Gen António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, who was instrumental in decri […]

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the biggest challenge associated with the legalization of cannabis has been the supply shortage – but he expects it to disappear within a year. In an end-of-year interview with The Canadian Press Friday, Trudeau predicted the problem would be resolved “during the coming months and perhaps the coming year.” He noted the scar […]

Dear Mayor Dilkens, I’m not surprised you suggested opting out of private cannabis retail sales. Voting to opt out, however, won’t stop illegal sales. Instead, it will provide those who sell illegally with foundational support — primarily less competition — and more business. Opting out also means illegal cannabis sold will not be sourced from federally lice […]

According to Health Canada, there are currently 134 companies licensed to produce cannabis in Canada — 90 of those were licensed in the last 16 months Health Canada says legal cannabis shortages that have been experienced in some provinces, including Nova Scotia, will likely continue into the New Year. Karen Casey, Nova Scotia’s finance minister and deputy p […]

Months after saying it would not cap the number of licences for retail pot shops after cannabis was legalized, the Ontario government has reversed course, saying it will now only be able to issue 25 licences by April. In a statement Thursday evening, the province says it plans to take a "phased approach" to authorizing retail cannabis outlets becau […]

Kate Holowchik didn’t grow up in a household that was particularly open to experimenting with marijuana. “My dad was a senior chief in the Navy,” she said. “He’s 6-foot-3. I was always afraid to step out of line.” But as an adult, she said cannabis has become a necessity. Holowchik suffered from high-functioning anxiety and frequent panic attacks, and after […]